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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · chest · lie · perch · face · pass · rule · fall

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. perch — the fish
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rule — a law
  17. chest — a box
  18. swing — music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — in golf
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com